Папа Лев подготовил энциклику о защите человека в эпоху ИИ

Pope Leo is preparing a historic encyclical — the first major document of his papacy devoted to protecting humans in an era of rapid artificial intelligence development. It will be presented in the Vatican next week in the presence of leaders from Anthropic, one of the world's leading AI companies, which has published recommendations on safety and ethics in AI systems development.

Who is the new Pope Leo XIV

He was born in Chicago and became the first American pope in modern times. This is his first encyclical — the most authoritative form of a papal document, which defines the Vatican's official position on key issues that concern humanity. The Vatican has already announced that the text will be devoted to "protecting humans in the age of AI" — a signal that the Church perceives technological challenges not as abstract problems, but as existential threats requiring a spiritual and moral response.

An encyclical is neither a decree nor an order to subordinates. It is an address to the entire Catholic world and humanity as a whole on a profound moral and philosophical question. When a pope issues an encyclical, it is an event.

History shows that encyclicals have often been turning points in the Church's perception of modernity.

Why Anthropic is present here

A co-founder of Anthropic has been invited to the presentation. The company is known for its work on AI safety: its Claude model was developed with an emphasis on ethics, explainability, and responsibility. This is not a random choice — Anthropic has spent years conducting research on how to make AI more reliable and understandable to people, how to avoid manipulation and bias.

But there is also a political context. Anthropic is in conflict with the Trump administration over AI regulation and export controls. The company has opposed some government decisions, which has caused tension.

The invitation of the company's leadership to the Vatican is an indirect message about the Church's independence in its position on technology and that the Vatican is leaning toward a position that protects ethics and transparency.

What the encyclical will focus on

According to preliminary information, the document will concentrate on several key problems that arise with AI development: Protection of personal information and confidentiality in conditions of ubiquitous tracking and data analysis Problems of bias in AI algorithms and their impact on discrimination based on race, gender, and social status The need to preserve human dignity when implementing automation in work processes and decision-making The danger of manipulation of public opinion through synthetic media and disinformation * The role of the state and international community in regulating powerful technologies The encyclical promises to be not apocalyptic or excessively attacking, but a philosophical and moral document. The Pope will not call for banning AI — that would be unrealistic and impractical. It is about moral principles and values on which the development of these technologies should be built.

What this means

The Vatican recognizes: the topic of AI is not a political battle and not a narrow technical dispute among specialists. It is a profound moral question that concerns every person, their dignity, and their future. Pope Leo's encyclical may become a significant voice in the global dialogue on how to preserve humanity in conditions of accelerating technological development and how to ensure that AI serves the good of people rather than their exploitation.